Kiss of the Spider Woman (novel)

Kiss of the Spider Woman
First edition cover
AuthorManuel Puig
Original titleEl beso de la mujer araña
TranslatorThomas Colchie (novel), Alan Baker (play)
Cover artistMaxfield Parrish, Ecstacy - 1929
LanguageSpanish
GenreNovel
PublisherSeix Barral
Publication date
1976
Publication placeArgentina
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)

Kiss of the Spider Woman (Spanish: El beso de la mujer araña) is a 1976 novel by Argentine writer Manuel Puig. It depicts the daily conversations between two cellmates in an Argentine prison, Molina and Valentín, and the intimate bond they form in the process. It is generally considered Puig's most successful work. The novel was translated into English by Thomas Colchie in 1979.

Puig adapted the novel into a stage play in 1983. The novel has also been adapted into an Academy Award-winning film in 1985, a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical in 1993, and a 2020 television special episode of Katy Keene. A film adaptation of the Broadway musical was released in 2025.